Shedding mechanism for looms.



PATENTED MAY 3, 1904.

R. G. PRATT.

SHBDDING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 21, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

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Patented May 3, 1904.

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PATENT ROBERT G. PRATT, OF \VOROESTER, MASSAOHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO OROMPTON & KNOWLES LOOM \YORKS, OF \VORCESTER, MASSA- CHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSAOHUSET SHEDDING-IVIECHANISIVI FOR LOOIVIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,932, dated May 3, 1904.

Application fiTBIT December 21, 1903. Serial No. 185,951. No model.)

anism combined with the shedding mechanism,

and more particularly with the connector between the vibrator-gear and the harnessack in the head motion to press down the connector and act to hold the end pivoted to the vibrator-gear on one side or the other of the pivotal support of said gear on the vibratorlever, according as the vibrator-gear is ro-.

tated in one direction by engagement with the lower cylinder-gear or in the other direction by the upper cylinder-gear in the usual and well-known way.

The object of my invention is to simplify and improve upon the ordinary construction of the mechanism above referred to, and particularly the mechanism shown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 397,858. In said patent, in addition to the pivoted follower which rests upon the connector intermediate the harnessjack and the vibratorgear, there is an independent rod or pin having a spiral spring thereon which extends above the follower and also a transverse plate through which the upper end of said rod or pin extends. These parts extend up above the follower and also above the top of the head-stands.

In my improvements 1 do away with the rods or pins, the springs thereon, and the transverse plate for the upper ends of the rods, and I have the pivoted followers and their actuating-swings entirely below the top of the head-stands.

I have only shown in the drawing a detached portion of parts of the shedding mechanism of a loom, with my improvements applied thereto, sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to understand the construction and operation of the same.

The drawing is a sectional view of a shedding mechanism of a loom and my improvements combined therewith.

In the accompanying drawing, 1 is a por-= tion of the frame or arch of a loom. 2 is the head-stand. 3 is a harness-jack pivotally mounted on a transverse rod at and having the two notched arms 3 at substantially right angles to eachother. 5 is a connector pivotally attached at one end "to the harness jack 3 and at its other end to the vibrator-gear 6. The vibrator-gear 6 is mounted and has a rotary motion on thevibrator-lever 7, which is pivotall y supported at its outer end on a transverse rod 8. The pattern-chain 10 is supported on the pattern-chain barrel 11 and is made up of rolls and tubes in the ordinary way. 12 is the upper cylinder-gear, and 13 is the lower cylinder-gear.

All of the above-described parts are of the ordinary and well-known construction.

I will now describe my improvements.

A transverse rod M is supported on the loomarches just in front of the upright arms of the harness-jacks. On the rod 14 are loosely mounted the hubs of a series of followers or levers 15. (Only one is shown in the drawing.) There is a lever 15 for each connector 5, and each lever extends above the connector and preferably has a groove in its end to receive the upper edge of the connector 5, as shown. Extending from the hub of each lever 15 is an arm or projection 15, to which is attached one end of a spring 16. The other end of the spring 16 is in this instance attached to a latch 17, the hub of which is loosely mounted on a transverse rod 18, supported on the headstands 2.

The lower end of the latch 1'7 has a projection 1T thereon which is adapted to extend under and engage a hook or projection 15 on the lever 15 and hold said lever in its raised position, as shown by broken lines. Extending out from the hub of the latch 17 is a finger or thumb piece 17, and on the opposite side of the hub is an extension 17', the end of which engages a transverse bar 19 on the headstands and acts as a stop to limit the pivotal motion of the latch 17 against the tension of the spring 16.

The operation of my improvements will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

When the followers or levers 15 are in use, each one engages its connector 5, and the spring 16 acts to draw down the lever 15 and cause it to press on the connector 5, and thus insure its downward movement, and with it the vibrator-gear 6 and vibrator-lever 7 when the pattern-indicator is moved out from under the lever 7.

When the followers 15 are not in use, the latch 17 is moved by the thumb-piece 17 to allow the hook 15 on the followers 15 to pass by the projection 17 on the latch 17. The latch is then released, and the spring 16 holds the latch in engagement with the follower 15, as shown by dotted lines in the drawing.

The advantages of my improvements will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art. They are of simple construction and effective in operation and are located in a plane below the top of the head-stands.

By means of a latch 17 to engage a follower 15 and hold it in its raised position any desired number of followers 15 can be held in their raised position and out of engagement with the connectors 5, so that in case of a twenty-five-harness loom with only ten harnesses in use the followers 15, engaging the connectors 5 of the harnesses not in use, can

be held in their raised position and relieve the pressure on the connectors 5, so that their Vibrator-gears will be more free to turn and require less power.

It will be understood that the details of construction of my improvements may be varied, if desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a loom, the combination with a connector, intermediate the harness-jack and vibrator-gear, of a pivoted lever or follower, above the connector, having a recessed end to fit onto the upper edge of the connector, and an arm or projection thereon, a spring attached at one end to said arm, and at its other end to a pivoted latch, and saidlatch, havinga projection thereon to engage a projection on said lever, and a stop to limit the movement of said latch, substantially as shown and described. 7

2. In a loom, the combination with a connector, intermediate the harness-jack and the vibrator-gear, ofa pivoted. lever, extending over the connector and engaging the upper edge of the connector, and having a projection there-' on, a tension-spring attached at one end to said projection, and at its other end to a pivoted latch, and said latch, adapted to engage said lever, and hold it in its raised position, substantially as shown and described. ROBERT G. PRATT. Witnesses:

J. C. DEWEY, M. HAAS. 

